River Thames
The River Thames is a famous river that runs a total of 346 km (215 mi). The River runs from Kemble, Gloucestershire to the Thames Estuary near Southend-on-Sea. It is often associated with London, and it is often used as the border for North London and South London. Route of the River As already mentioned, the River's source is located in the small village of Kemble in Gloucestershire. From here it travels eastwards through the cities of Oxford, Reading and Windsor amongst many others. As the River enters Greater London it turns north-east and passes Hampton Court and Richmond. The River then enters Central London where it passes many famous landmarks such as Westminster's Clock Tower (also known as "Big Ben"), the London Eye and the Tower of London. Entering East London, the River passes over the world's first underwater tunnel, appropriately named the Thames Tunnel. Not too far from here the River flows around the Isle of Dogs, a former island. Upon turning sharply past the Greenwich Peninsula it flows further east, passing the Thames Flood Barriers. The River then expands further and continues eastwards until reaching the Thames Estuary into the North Sea. History Early Documentations One of the earliest documentations of the Thames was by Julius Caeser in his account of his second expedition into Britain 54BC Archeological evidence shows that bronze age artifacts have been discovered along the course of the river, which shows that the Thames may have been known of before Caeser's documentations. It is also known that the Romans used the Thames to set up two trading bases at Ludgate Hill and Cornhill, and trade as well as camps began to expand all around the river, slowly forming London itself. Initially called Londinium, it was located at the lowest point of the Thames where a bridge was built. In AD870 the Vikings used the Thames to sail to Chertsey Abbey where they caused a considerable ammount of destruction, as well as the destruction already took place during their sail from the Thames Estuary. Pollution Before the construction of sewers in London, the Thames was used to dump waste. As well as being used to wash it was also used to drink, and disease was common. In 1858, "The Great Stink" occurred during the hot summer, with the untreated sewage beginning to overwhelm Londoners. It even disrupted the work of Parliament, who considered moving work to Hampton Court. Measures included covering the curtains in chloride of lime, but it was to little effect. As well as the stench the deadly virus cholera began an epidemic due to the sewage in the Thames. There were soon plans to rid London of its cesspits and after the events of 1958 work accelerated and a new sewage system was constructed. Present Day The River has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, and riverboat services may be accessed to journey up and down ithttp://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2648.aspxTfL's riverboat homepage, in particular Greenwich Pier to Waterloo Pier. Due to flooding increase, the Thames Barrier was erected between 1974 and 1984 to prevent London from flooding in a similar situation should there be a strong storm or heavy rainfall.http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/thames/323150/335688/341764/Environment Agency pages on the Thames Barrier 1999 saw new transport links under the Thames, the Jubilee Line on four occasions (between Westminster station and aterloo station, Canada Water station and Canary Wharf station, Canary Wharf station and North Greenwich station and North Greenwich station and Canning Town station) and the Docklands Light Railway between Island Gardens station and Cutty Sark station. On June 10th 2000, the first new crossing of the Thames was opened, the Millenium Bridge which links the area immediately south of St. Paul's Cathedral on the north bank to the area surrounding the Globe Theatre on the south bank. It was the first new bridge since Tower Bridge in 1894. References T Category:Landmarks